The Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame was established to honor those athletes, coaches and special contributors who have contributed to high school swimming and diving in the state of Indiana.

Bill Chappo

2011 Hobie Billingsley Award Winner

Bill Chappo began his coaching career at Portage High School in 1974. After eleven years of coaching both boys and girls divers at Portage; he made the move to Valparaiso High School in 1985 to become the Vikings head diving coach. He then moved on to Munster High School in 2013. Bill has coached more than eighty divers to state qualifications, with three of his divers winning state championships, two state runner-up divers, and many other medalists and state finalists. He coached his 22nd Duneland Conference Champion at the 2011 girl’s conference meet. Over the years, Bill has been selected by the IHSAA to judge more than thirty boy’s and girl’s state meets, has been named IHSAA Diving Coach of the year by the coaches association on four occasions and the Post Tribune’s Coach of the Year twice. He was also a member of the Diving All-American Selection Committee for three years. For him to mention or list a few names of his talented and dedicated divers would be unfair. He can honestly say that over the years he has a great story to tell about each and every diver he’s coached, whether they’ve won or placed last.

Coaches that have had a great influence on his coaching career are his former high school coach, Jon Jepsen, former Valparaiso swim coaches Charles “Skip” Bird, Jim Sharpe, and Larry Rietz, as well as Hobie Billingsley. Bill has always considered Hobie as the Grandfather of Diving in America and is also the reason Bill wears a hat.

Bill was a 1969 graduate from Portage High School, received his degree in Elementary Education from Ball State University in 1974, and a Master’s degree in Education in 1985 from Indiana University. Bill has been married to his wife Debra for more than 30 years. They have two sons, Joel and Bryan.